Residents in Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Johnston counties are under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
At 2:31 p.m., radar indicated severe thunderstorms in mainly rural areas of west central Granville County, bringing wind gusts of 60 mph and prompting the NWS to instruct residents to “move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building” and “expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees” until 2:45 p.m.
NWS radar spotted similar thunderstorms in Vance and Warren counties, north of Raleigh. The storms were moving northeast at 30 mph as of 2:36 p.m., according to the NWS. Those counties — including Interstate 85 between mile marker 209 and 233 — were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 3:30 p.m…